The benefits of social networking for tertiary education language programmes for non-philology students

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One of the effects of the omnipresent internet-based tools and means of communication today is the shift towards an Electronically Mediated Communication (EMC) [King et al, 2011], which links together people of various statuses and backgrounds from all over Europe (and the world). One such means of communication is social networks, which are increasingly being used to share news, communicate or exchange ideas. They are also becoming educational tools due to their popularity, relative ease of use and flexible nature. It is currently of great importance to establish the educational value of Web 2.0 tools and social networks and, simultaneously, to devise efficient ways to implement them in a variety of contexts from primary and secondary to tertiary level Our initial work in this area involves experimenting with some Web 2.0 tools such as ARGs (Alternate Reality Games) including blogs and discussion forums for stimulating interest in and motivation to learn languages at secondary schools, developing learning and teacher training materials and their massive piloting with teachers and students from all over Europe (the Arguing for Multilingual Motivation in Web 2.0 project). Later, we started working on using social networks and social media in a) language teachers’ continuous professional development and b) in language classes for nonphilology university students (aPlaNet project). Some of the resulting language training strategies have been trialled out with around 90 students in Bachelor (Library and Information Sciences) and Master (European Projects Management) programmes in language development classes. Social media and social networks are introduced as tools in their English and related classes through specially designed individual and group tasks based on Pedagogy 2.0 models. Observation and analysis of student achievements and outcomes have shown that these activities contribute to better development of students’ communicative competence in English, general fluency and enhanced written interaction in particular. The paper outlines the opportunities arising from this pilot. Importantly the use of shared language activities promotes synergies between subjects, collaborative work between academic staff and students and willingness to cross borders between subjects taught. In particular the focus is on the specific opportunity arising from the characteristic of online learning to blur boundaries between formal and informal activities. The paper argues that the guided use of EMC tools in teaching of languages at tertiary level effectively leads to increased professional interaction and mobility.